Dozens of mail walk-outs are planned around the country ahead of a nationwide
strike ballot, as businesses called on the government to intervene.

On Monday, five delivery offices, Cambridge, Ely, Haddenham, Isleham and Soham are set to strike for 24 hours while Norwich will strike from 6am to 10am.

This will be followed by offices across London on Tuesday, followed by the Midlands, Yorkshire and Carlisle, among other areas throughout the country, as members of the Communication Workers Union prepare to vote in a national ballot for strikes in the bitter dispute over jobs, pay and services.

According to the union, the dispute is the biggest with Royal Mail since the national strike of 2007 and has led to a backlog of undelivered post.

Members of the CWU will start voting this week on whether to back a nationwide strike, with the result expected on October 8.

More than 20 million items of post have gone undelivered because of the recent series of postal strikes, union leaders have claimed.

A CWU spokesman said: "We've already started the ball rolling with the national ballot and will continue the process unless we get a deal with Royal Mail but the pressure put on Royal Mail has brought them to the table.

"We really hope Royal Mail take the concerns of their staff seriously. Morale is rock bottom. It's a pretty dismal place at the moment and we really need the managers to see this or be removed because they've completely mishandled this situation."

Royal Mail criticised the decision to press ahead with the ballot as "wholly irresponsible", as talks between senior management and the union leadership were still being held.

John Cridland, the Deputy Director General of the CBI, called the action "disruptive", saying: "Many businesses have other options for sending and receiving mail such as email or other postal services.

"Nonetheless, for small businesses and those firms involved in direct mailing, industrial action is going to be disruptive, just as it is for individuals."

In a letter to Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, The Direct Marketing Association called on the government to take action to help resolve the dispute.

Robert Keitch, the trade body's head of membership said: "It is quite clear that businesses cannot sustain these interruptions indefinitely.

"Should relations deteriorate further and a national postal strike take effect, this would have a significant impact on businesses that rely on issuing invoices and receiving payment via post."